The Stars That Shape Our Fate
by MasterQuill7
Summary: Nick Gold and Jefferson Hatter are ex-jedi bounty hunters trying to survive in a struggling galaxy after the last Galactic War, but everything changes when they find themselves being dragged back into the heart of the Republic after their encounter with runaway, Lacey Rose. AU crossover with Star Wars, Stargate Universe, Cowboy Bebop, and a little Hamish Macbeth.


The Griffin inched along in the darkness of space; the only light coming from the planet beside it; it's image reflecting off the steel hull. Nick Gold, the Griffin's Captain, lye in bed with his eyes closed, the sheets barely covering his naked form. The objects around the room began to float in midair. It was another one of his Jedi trances; with Nick the force flowed through him like a cipher, and even at his level, it was difficult to control. Meditation usually helped, especially when he was so restless. He opened his eyes slowly, staring at the ceiling, he slowly came out of his trance, he waited until all the objects were safely back in place before sitting up. It was dark in the room; he hadn't realized how dark it was until now. Though it was only fitting for the feeling accompanying it. For the past week, he couldn't shake this feeling of dread, and being a former Jedi, he had learned to listen to his initial senses. He took occasional glances out from the viewport at the nearby system they were passing, a giant green planet being orbited by a black moon, otherwise known as the planet Foren. Being a bounty hunter, he had seen many planets across the galaxy, and was still amazed that he had still not seen them all. The holopad on the shelf next to his bed crackled to life, revealing the face of his partner, Jefferson, who looked annoyed as ever at the absence of his colleague.

"Hey, are you going to get up today or what?" he asked.

"What the fuck do you want?" asked Nick lazily.

"How about a little assistance up here. I don't plan on doing the job for both us when we're both splitting the pay on bounties."

Nick remained still and very quiet, pretending not to have heard him. He knew it drove Jefferson crazy.

"HEY! NICK! I'M NOT FUCKING KIDDING AROUND! GET YOUR ASS TO THE COCKPIT!"

Nick rolled over and put the pillow over his head. After a few moments, he sat up and let out a long sigh; he knew Jefferson was right; he couldn't stay in his bedroom all day moping around. He thought with any luck, they might hear of a bounty, hopefully worth a lot of money. He hauled himself to his feet, and walked naked to the lavatory. Inside was toilet against the far wall, next to that sink, and taking up most of the space was a large circular shower with 5 showerheads at different points around it. He stepped inside, just as the water blasted him, and steam began to fill the room. He stood there, staring at the floor, letting the water and soap wash over his skin and the few tattoos he had. His mind drifted back to the disturbance in the force he was feeling; something was going to happen that would change his life forever, he could feel it in his core, but the question was: good or bad? He clapped his hands, and the showerheads shut themselves off. He wrapped a towel around his waist and carefully walked back to his quarters. Once inside, slipped on his usual outfit; black leather pants, black boots, an off tan tank top, and a black leather jacket. He snapped on his weapons belt holding his blaster, a pouch of ammo, a pouch of small med vials, and his dual lightsabers; everything a bounty hunter needed. He hit the button to close the door and made his way to the cockpit.

Jefferson sat comfortably in the pilot's chair, pushing an array of buttons and muttering to himself. The stars in space reflected off his metal arm through the observation window. Nick plopped down in the chair next to him. The story behind Jefferson's arm is the story behind their friendship. They were engineers in the Galactic war together. They were both assigned to disable a bomb in an abandoned building that would have leveled the entire area. Not seeing the second trigger underneath, Nick had disabled the bomb, but had missed the smaller back up. Jefferson grabbed him, but the bomb exploded disintegrating Jefferson's arm and sending metal shards into Nick's back (he still has the scars). If Jefferson hadn't grabbed him, he knew he would be dead.

"It's about time. We need fuel and there's a starport about 700 light-years away," said Jefferson, bringing up the hologram of the navicomputer.

"Alright. Set a course," said Nick, rubbing his neck in exhaustion.

Jefferson typed the coordinates into the navicomputer, then pulled the lever to activate the hyperdrive. Nick watched those familiar lights form out of the observation window before they jetted forward into hyperspace.

"BARK! BARK!" Jock, their west highland terrier, came running in and eagerly hopped onto Nick's lap.

Nick happily began scratching Jock's ears, who wagged his tale uncontrollably. They came out of hyperspace a few moments later right in front of the blockade surrounding the Normenian Starport. The console beeped, signaling an incoming call. 

"Registered code ship 4709567, also know as The Griffin. ***Bzzt*** What is your purpose at the starport today?"

"Stopping for fuel and supplies," said Jefferson through the speakers.

"Please wait…. We will send you docking procedures in a moment."

Jefferson sat back in his chair. Nick could tell he looked worried, as he held Jock close to his chest.

"You think they won't let us in because we're bounty hunters?" asked Nick.

"It's a chance, yes. It's no secret bounty hunters attract trouble wherever they go."

It was a very long period of utter silence. Nick secretly hoped that the blockade wouldn't just blow them out of the fucking sky. The console spewed static and a voice had come through once again:

"The Griffin, you are clear to land in dock module 87."

"Thank you," said Jefferson before looking over at Nick and shaking his head like the stress of those last few minutes was unnecessary.

He pushed the drive sticks forward and they flew, rather quickly, to the planet's surface. He steered the ship into dock 87 and landed gracefully as always. Nick picked up Jock and left the cockpit; he placed him gently on the couch in the common room before heading down the hall to the exit ramp. He hit the button with his fist; there was a loud hum, the doors creaked open, and the ramp began to lower. Jefferson appeared next to him with a datapad in hand. As they walked down the lowering ramp, Nick suddenly felt a gust of disturbance bombarded with a million echoes in his head. This place appeared to be force sensitive, and Nick was finding it very difficult to center himself. Even Jefferson had to grasp the pole connecting the ramp to the ship to keep from collapsing.

"You feel that?" asked Jefferson rubbing his temple.

"Yeah. This place is not good for us. The force is too…. uncontrolled here. I can barely concentrate. We must do what we came here to do and quickly; before the unrest here makes us sick," said Nick. Jefferson nodded in agreement. A protocol droid with rusted armor covered in grease stains approached them.

"Good evening. I am to escort you to the dock master for fueling. Please follow me."

Jefferson gave Nick a reassuring pat on the back and followed the droid into the maintenance entrance of the Starport.

"I'll get the supplies and meet you back here!" Nick called after him. He watched as Jefferson simply waved his hand over his head, acknowledging that he heard him. Nick turned around and walked through the customs entrance.

Inside, Nick stood there with his hand on his hip, listening to the customs officer's routine questions. Everyone had to go through this with each arrival, but bounty hunters always had to answer extra questions. What's your name? Do you like to fight? Have you ever been incarcerated? If so what for? What was the ship's last destination? How many credits do you have on you now? He found the whole thing extremely exhausting. Bounty Hunters nowadays meant the same thing as traveling terrorists. With the Jedi Order dead there was no one in the galaxy to keep the peace, which left bounty hunters fighting over bounties and destroying cities in the process. Nick took his visa and stuffed it in his pocket. It was crowded, between the amount of people scrambling for parts and food and the fans shouting over the swoop bike races in the cantina anyone would be overwhelmed. He reached out with the force, but with all the disturbance around him, it was only a slither he was feeling instead of the usual ocean of power the coursed through him. He followed it, leading him to a junk shop; no one was there except for the Gren shopkeeper. Its three eyes twitched along with its pointy ears; it bellowed out it's known language, which Nick thankfully understood.

"I'm looking for these parts," said Nick handing it a list.

It responded to Nick its own native language, which he understood as telling him to come back in an hour. Nick nodded his thanks and left the junk shop to visit the cantina. Inside the cantina, he surveyed his surroundings; there was a large crowd cheering on the swoop bike races with credits in their hands, obviously gamblers. There was a band playing on the far wall with several alien species chatting it up at the bar, but all that paled in comparison to what or whom he saw next. A beautiful human girl, sitting at the bar close to the crowd of gamblers; all alone. She was small, short, her brown hair with a tinge of red cascaded over her shoulders in a neat fashion. He couldn't see any weapons, but he could see her black jacket that clang tightly to her body along with her black tank top and black leather pants. He looked closer at her waist, where he saw a light blue sash wrapped neatly around her held together by the black belt containing all sorts of pouches and ammo. There was something different he sensed about her; something familiar that he couldn't put his finger on. She looked mildly disinterested with everything else going on around her, but instead focused on the datapad she was holding while nursing her drink. Nick was drawn to her, he didn't know why, but it felt like a rope being tied around his heart and pulling him along. Before he knew it, he was sitting across from her at the bar and flagging down the bartender for a drink.

"Hi," said Nick, trying not to scream at her through all the noise.

She didn't look up at him, but simply said, "Not interested," in a thick accent, he remembered from his birth planet to be Australian.

"Sorry to bother you. I just found it amazing that you didn't seem particularly bothered with all the noise."

She finally put the datapad down ad looked at him for the first time. Nick watched the expression on her face; she seemed taken back, almost surprised to see him. She held her chest as her breath caught in her throat.

"Sorry… I was being rude. Just so use to guys hitting on me."

"No flirting here. You just caught my attention," said Nick, taking the drink and sipping it.

"I use a form of meditation to block out excess noise," she said simply.

"I have a similar form of meditation… How long are you visiting the starport?" Nick asked.

"I've got a few more hours…. Needed the hyperdrive replaced."

"Wow. That's an expensive repair. Sorry."

"Well that's what happens when you try to out run an imperial blockade."

"I'm Nick, by the way…. Nick Gold."

"Lacey Rose."

"That's a beautiful name," said Nick, blushing a little. He was never smooth when talking to girls.

"Thank you."

Nick glanced down at her datapad, he reached out with the force to enhance his vision. He saw everything, receipts, star charts, a hyperdrive schedule, and some poetry she was reading.

"At least you have something to keep yourself busy in the meant time," said Nick nodding to wards the datapad.

"Yeah. I like to keep my mind busy, even when I'm not waiting for something. It keeps me alert."

"I can relate," he said taking a sip of his drink.

"So, what are you doing here? Handsome guy like you can't just be wondering the galaxy without a purpose," she said with a sexy smile.

"My friend and I are here for refueling. We're heading to Courascant."

"Dangerous place for a dangerous man."

"Aye, that it is."

Lacey stood up with her datapad and walked over to sit on the stool next to him; she placed her hand on his arm. Nick focused on her hand as it gently caressed him. He knew what she wanted.

"Before you leave, how about I show you what I can do that sends shivers up a man's spine," she whispered in his ear.

Nick smirked, then took another sip from his drink. "Hell yes."

Lacey dragged Nick into a nearby alleyway; gripping the lapel of his jacket, she pulled him into a fiery kiss. Nick instantly cupped her cheek with on thumb resting on her chin, as their lips danced across one another. Her kiss was so passionate that she was sucking the breath out of him. He let his hand caress her, down to her thigh. Lacey was already sticking her fingers into his pants and frantically unbuttoning them, sending shivers through his body. She pushed him up against the wall; he was slightly surprised at the amount of force she was patruding, but it felt amazing all the same. Nick entwined his fingers in her silky brown hair; they both moaned, as their tongues fought for dominance. Nobody seemed to notice them, or hear their cries of passion and heavy breathing. Nick opened his eyes, and he did so at the right moment, suddenly her name and picture appeared on three screens in the cantina with a bounty of 700,000 credits underneath. Data showing her crime replaced the bounty next to her picture, but Nick didn't care, he only cared about 700,000 credits. He continued to kiss her, thankful that she had not sensed his distraction. As she pulled the zipper of his trousers down, Nick reached for his lightsaber, but he stopped when he felt a barrel of blaster against his stomach.

"I don't think so, mate," she whispered.

Nick put his hands in the air in surrender. "That's very clever, lasse." She smirked at him, and moved back, fixing herself with one hand, trying to make it look like she wasn't about to have sex with a complete stranger in an alleyway.

"What happens now? You gonna kill me?" asked Nick, as he backed up further into the alleyway. "I'm going to get that bounty either way."

"You bounty hunters are all alike. Not caring about the truth behind the money," she said through gritted teeth.

"It's nothing personal, dearie. I'm just trying to survive."

Lacey chuckled and lowered her blaster. "Aren't we all?" With that she ran out into the main concourse. Nick immediately ran after her, almost crashing into a passing crate, he leapt over it and bolted after.

Lacey was running like the devil himself was after her, and doing anything she could to slow him down. She tossed over a bucket of Normenian slugs, causing the creatures to spill across the floor along with their slime. Nick slipped and fell on his back with a loud thump, sliding across the floor and into a starport police officer. Nick jumped to his feet, leaving the officer writhing around, and continued his pursuit of Lacey, who was so far ahead now he was sure he was going to lose her. She rounded a corner, Nick ran faster, kicking up his heels as he went. He rounded the same corner, but much to his fear, she was gone. Instead he found himself look down an empty hallway with the three doors in front and on both sides of him. He reached out with the force, letting everything else around him appear to just be white noise in the distance, he suddenly felt a pull leading him towards the door directly in front of him. He threw the door open and ran down the stairs until he came to a huge walkway with observation windows surrounding it. He looked out at the platform below him, and spotted Lacey running towards an occupied dock, which he figured was her ship. She jumped into the cockpit, with all the fueling tubes and mechanic droids still attached, started the engines and pulled away. Nick watched helplessly from the platform, as the money they were going to live on for the next few months just flew away.

"FUCK!" he screamed, kicking the dust up in the floor in frustration.

Looking pitiful, Nick stopped by the junk shop to pick up the parts, and shortly after, returned to the docks where he left Jefferson and the Griffin. Jock barked happily at the sight of his master and ran in circles around him, while occasionally jumping up, thinking the parts he was carrying was food.

"Daft dog," Nick whispered, as he handed the parts to Jefferson.

Jefferson sniffed the air, clearly disgusted by whatever he was smelling. "What is that smell? Did you swim through a sewer?"

Nick looked down at his clothes, noticing the patches of slime still on his jacket. "No, slipped in a batch of Normenian slugs," said Nick, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, go take a shower," he said to Nick, who was walking up the ramp and into the ship. "AND DON'T SIT ON ANYTHING! I JUST HAD EVERYTHING STEAM CLEANED!"

Nick rolled his eyes, and walked down the hallway to the lavatory. He stripped off his clothes, and threw them down the laundry shoot. He stood still, letting the hot water cascade over his body. He breathed in the excess steam that put his mind at peace. He closed his eyes, and he saw her… only her, running away…. running away from him, but all he could truly see was her running away from a life with him.


End file.
